The social cost of carbon (SCC) has been referred to as the most important number you’ve never heard of. The SCC puts the effects of climate change into economic terms to help policymakers and other decisionmakers understand the value of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The SCC is currently used by local, state, and federal governments, as well as the private sector, to inform billions of dollars of policy and investment decisions in the United States and abroad.

The US government is currently in the process of updating its estimates of the SCC to reflect recent scientific advances. New research on the SCC from Resources for the Future (RFF), the University of California, Berkeley, and eight other top institutions aims to inform the federal government’s efforts. This team of interdisciplinary scholars has now completed a comprehensive, multiyear project to update to the scientific basis underlying the SCC.

Join us in person or virtually on Thursday, September 1, for an RFF Live event, where the RFF–UC Berkeley team will reveal its updated SCC estimate and discuss its implications for US and global climate policy. Researchers will also unveil a new interactive tool that allows users to visualize the data underpinning their SCC estimate, including long-term projections of population, economic growth, greenhouse gas emissions, changes in the climate, and their corresponding economic impacts.

Speakers

David Anthoff, University of California, Berkeley
Brian Prest, Resources for the Future
Kevin Rennert, Resources for the Future
Maureen Cropper, Resources for the Future (Moderator)
Richard G. Newell, Resources for the Future (Introductory Remarks)

Live Q&A for in-person participants to follow the discussion. Doors will open at 12:30 a.m. EDT and refreshments will be available. The event will begin at 1:00 p.m. EDT.

Please note that proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required to enter the venue.

An Updated Social Cost of Carbon: Calculating the Cost of Climate Change